Metal unit building system



March 15. 1932. BRODERICK 1,849,273

METAL UNIT BUILDING SYSTEM Filed April 30, 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet lawuamcoz March 15, 1932. J. c. BRODERICK METAL UNIT sumnme SYSTEM 0 G 0Q 6 w m 9 L 2/ o m o e o o b h 9 om o 0 WW 0 m w m e m m E o o March 15,1932.

J. c. BRODERICK 1,849,273

METAL UNIT BUILDING SYSTEM Filed April 50, 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 3gwvemtoz March 15, 1932. c BRQDER|K 1,849,273

METAL UNIT BUILDING SYSTEM Filed April 50, 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 4a-vweutoz M (3. WA v fia axiom x01 E 5k) Patented Mar. 15, 1932 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN C. BRODERIOK, OF NYACK, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,TO McCLINTIC-MARSHALL CORPORATION, OF BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA, A COR-PORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA METAL UNIT BUILDING SYSTEM Application filedApril 30, 1926. Serial No. 105,859,

The improvements relate to the construction of buildings and moreparticularly to the framework thereof, and their object is, amongothers, to provide a system and a set of units Q to be used inconnection therewith whereby buildings of various forms, dimensions andarchitectural details may be framed in metal at a very low cost forlabor, materials and supervision, may be quickly and securely 1 framed,and the frame given great strength and rigidity, and whereby thearchitect or other designer may plan a building, for residential orother purposes, of any desired type and form, and the builder mayconstruct the frame of such building by having all of its parts, andexactly the required number of parts, made at the mill and thus avoidskilled labor and the use of metal cutting or working tools or power onthe job. Other objects will be apparent to those familiar with buildingconstruction. 7

Although the construction of the frames of buildings of steel has beenrecognized as high- 1y desirable for many years, and the advantages ofsuch construction over wood or other framing have been well known forgenerations, the use of metal frames for residential buildings has veryrarely been attempted, and has always involveda cost which in the greatmajority of cases is prohibitive. The principal reasons for this arethat residences, particularly in suburban sections, are, and must be, inorder to be attractive and marketable, given a great variety ofarchitectural features. which requiring the working, cutting and fittingof the materials on the ob, which adds enormously to the cost, andbecause it is often not feasible, even where the cost is not considered,to have the tools, power and equipment for this work at hand; that theerection of steel building frames requires the employment of highly paidand time consuming labor skilled in work of this character; and that ifit is attempted to have the frames of such buildings fabricated at themill, it involves a great amount of work on the part of the architect orengineer in planning, measuring and specifying all the parts requiredand also a great amount of expensive work and the use of special toolsand machinery in making up the parts, to say nothing of mistakes andother discouraging incidents. The present system obviates all thesedisadvantages, and makes the construction of any ordinary residentialbuilding with-a steel frame, having all the attendant advantages of sucha frame, as easy and as cheap as the ordinary Wood frame construction,or even cheaper.

The improvements are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichFig. 1 is an elevation of a building frame constructed according to thepresent improvements;

Fig. 2 is a plan of the stud unit;

Fig. 3 is an end view thereof;

Fig. 4 is a plan of the girding unit Fig. 5 an end view thereof;

Fig. 6a side or edge view of the same;

a Fig. 7 is a plan of another unit called .a filler;

Fig. 8 an end View thereof;

Fig. 9 is a plan of a cross wall or partition connection with connectingplate;

Fig. 10 an end-side view of a wall top and brace connection end plateshown in plan in. Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 a corner construction;

Figs. 12 and 13 plans of wall and partition end constructions andbraces;

Fig. 14 an elevation of a roof unit; and

Fig. 15 a vertical or horizontal edge View thereof.

The system consists essentially of vertical, horizontal anddiagon'alelements and connecting means, and further in the means andmethods employed in assembling and securing these elements together toform the frame of a house or other building.

The stud member A of Figs. 2 and- 3 is designed to be placed in verticalposition anywhere in the building and to take the place of ordinary woodstudding or other upright frame members. It can be used,

however, for any purpose and in any part of the building to which it canbe applied advantageously. It consists of sides and ends, forming arectangular frame, both side and end members being formed of angle bars1 and 2 respectively placed side to side and riveted together. Theirends are mitred and fitted together, and connected by the angle ingelement, and such corner plates 3 interposed between their ends, thethree parts being secured together by means of rivets 4: passed throughthe opposed flanges of the angles and through the plate in eachinstance. The corner plate may be of triangular or other shape, but isso formed, as shown in Fig. 2, that it extends inside the corners of theframe and forms a web or brace giving the rectangular skeleton framebolts to secure the stud A to otherv parts.

These perforations are located opposite the rivets 5, so that a strongand rigid connection, which will resist twisting, spreading and otherstrains will be formed. The outer flanges may also be provided with oneor more perforations between the corners and the nearest rivets andbetween the rivets in the medial part of the longitudinal angles, asshown in Fig. 6, in connection with the girdperforations at the cornersare shown at 8.

These stud units, and the other units hereinafter described, aredesigned to be made up complete at the mill or other fabricating plant,and may be made of any desired size and proportions. It is acharacteristic of the present improvements, however, that they may bemade in standard sizes and kept in stock at the mill or by dealers, andused without alteration. for the production of buildings of variousproportions, types and architectural modifications. Thus the units A maybe made in 2, 3, 5, 6 and 8 foot lengths, so that by superposing oneupon another studs varying from 6 to 16 feet in height may be provided,which supplemented by the girder elements B will give any desired heightof a story of the building. In Fig. 1 the sea-leis approximately fourfeet to the inch, and the studs, which are approximately 8 feet inlength, supplemented by the girder members, which are approximately 18inches in width, will give a height of about 8 feet for the first andsecond stories, whereas the attic, employing 6 foot studs will have aminimum height in the finished central area of about 6 feet. The studsmay also be made double width as shown at A in Fig. 1, by running astraight angle bar longitudinally through the middle thereof andsecuring it in the manner hereinafter described for securing the crossbraces of the girder elements.

The girder unit or girt B is rimarily the horizontal member of theframe, but like the stud A may be used for other purposes and in otherpositions. It is composed of the angles 1 and 2 and corner plates 3 ofthe same construction and secured together in the same manner as in thestud unit shown in Figs. 2 and 3. In order to give it greatercompressive strength, however, cross braces 9 are provided between itsends, and these braces are secured to the sides of the frame by plates10 having One end interposed between the angles forming the side of theframe and secured thereto by rivets 11, so as to act as a brace andspacer as well as a connection for the cross pieces, and secured to theends of the braces by rivets 12. The braces 9 are angle bars and areprovided with perforations 13, which may be employed to lace orotherwise attach metal lath or filling members of cork or asbestos orother material. The laterally projecting webs or fianges of the anglesforming the hollow frame are provided with perforations 14, which may beof any desired size, shape, number and spacing, and are designed toenable the builder to secure any other unit therto at any desiredlocation along the length of the unit. It is important, however, thatthe size and spacing of the perforations in all the units shall beuniform, so that when one unit is placed so as to abut against anotherthe perforations of the two units can be made to register and aplurality of fastening bolts passed through such perforations to unitethe units.

The girder units B may also be "provided with diagonal truss rods 15(Fig. 1), and preferably about one-half ofthem are, these diagonal barsbeing riveted at one end to a corner plate and at the opposite end tothe plate 10, which may made of sufficient width to receive thenecessary connecting rivet or rivets.

The filling unit C is primarily intended to be placed between thestudding units and to form a rigid connection filling the space whichhas been left in a wall or partition framed with the units A and B,below a window or above a door opening. In Fig. 1 the unit C at the leftis placed for a high window, and at the right is placed for a lowwindow. \Vhere the space is relatively narrow, or so located that thefilling member will be subjected to relativelylow stresses, a fillerwith a single diagonal strut such as C may be employed. This unit isalso made in the form of a hollow rectangular frame formed of pairs ofangle bars 1a, 2a, secured together at the corners by plates 30:, theconstruction corresponding with that of the elements A and B. It alsohas a cross brace 9a secured in manner similar to the cross brace 9, themiddle plate 10a being made wider to provide means for attaching thediagonal struts 16 riveted thereto at one end and at the other end to acorner plate 35, which is merely an extension of the form of cornerplate 3. It

lar or rectangular form. The forms shown are carried to save a smallamount of metal, but where the conditions are such that the saving oflabor involved or the elimination of special equipment is more importantthan the small metal saving the making up of all the parts in one ofthese forms will be advisable. Thus, it will be seen that a shopequipped with power shears and a riveter can keep in stock sheets orstrips of metal and angle bars of any length and make up any desirednumber of the units A, B and C in any desired sizes and proportionswithout employing any other machinery than that mentioned or any otherbasic operations than the cutting and riveting operations referred to.

Where the opening is relatively narrow, and the strength of thestructure does not require greater bracing a straight brace 17 may beemployed to space the studs A, as shown at 17 in Fig. 1. Short studs mayalso be used to form a wall frame or interior partition by off-settingor by alternating them and having first one extending from the bottom upand then one extending from the top down, each stud being secured at ornear its inner end to two adjacent studs. Various further modificationsin the construction illustrated in Fig. 1 may also be made within thescope of the present improvements, as the studs and other units are soconstructed that they can be used practically universally for theconstruction of wall and partition frames.

\Vhere the load to be carried b a floor makes it advisable I-beams 18may e placed on the girder brace and secured thereto throughperforations receivin bolts which extend through the beams an theperfora- ,ions of the members on which they are placed. The perforationsin the ends of the units A will receive bolts set in the foundation andextending through a sill such as 19, and the girt units Bare fastened tothe tops and hottoms of the studs by means of bolts, preferably withflat shanks, such as 20 extending through the spaces between the anglesof both, as well as by as many bolts as may be desired through theirflange perforations.

The filler units C have perforations 21 in the lateral flanges of theirangles, which correspond in size and position with the perforations ofthe units A and B. The latter at their ends have perforations spacedabout th inch, which on a scale of 1 inch to the foot would indicateperforations on 3 inch centers, while the intermediate perforations arespaced about one-half inch, which would indicate 6 inch centers. Themaking of perforations for the reception of connecting bolts morenumerous near the ends is a special arrangement, and if desired the boltholes may have the same spacing throughout, which may be either theshort or the long spacing indicated, or any other satisfactory spacing.The length of the corner plates will be sufiicient to receive thedesired number of bolts, and their perforations will correspond to thoseof the angle flanges. These perforations in all cases will-be so placedthat those in one unit will register with those in the other unit, andif for any reason those of one unit are made more numerous than those ofanother, they will be arranged in multiples. Thus if the perforations ofone unit are on three inch centers, those of all the other units will beon 3, 6, 9 or 12 inch centers. The perforations shown are merelyillustrative of the system whereby the uniting of the units at any pointthroughout their respective lengths to other units is provided for.

As the punching of the rivet holes is merely a matter of setting thepunches in a punching machine, in the mill, the number and location ofthe holes is not a matter of material importance so far as thefabrication of the units is concerned. It is desirable, however, to havethe perforations as few in number as the operation of the systemrequires, since having them too numerous would slightly reduce thestrength of the unit.

The unit D, shown in Figs. 9 and 10, is adapted to be applied to thetops of partition or wall intersections, and bolted to the angle flangesof both wall tops as shown at 22. These bolts are passed through theperforations 14: of the girt members and through registering bolt holesin the units D. The top of the partition shown in these figures isformed by intersecting girt units B, and one unit extends throughbetween the abutting vertical ends of two others, but the tops of thepartitions may be the tops of the stud members A, where girt elementsare not employed, as where the height of the second story is 8 feet andan 8 foot stud unit is employed to frame the walls and partitions.

The corner brace unit E consists of a plate having perforationsregistering with the perforations 14 of the girt units through whichbolts 23 are passed to secure the parts to- I gether, and brace them.

The unit F is primarily intended to be used at the end of a partitionwhere it joins a wall or other partition and consists of a triangularplate with perforations registering with those of the partition formingmembers to receive connecting bolts 24.

The unit G is a triangular plate similar to the unit F but withapproximately one-half the base of the latter. This is intended to beused where interior partitions are joined with the end of one partitionabutting against the side of another. All of the elements D, E, F and Gare rectangles or right angle triangles and are provided with circularcut-out portions to reduce their weight.

It will be seen that the unit F has perforations along its sides. Theseare formed for the purpose of making it applicable to all the uses ofthe units D, E, F and G, if it is desired to so use it, the perforations25 being adapted to receive the bolts 24 when it is used in the place ofthe unit E. When it is used in place of the unit D it will extend overand be connected with three of the four walls, and will in most cases besufficient to brace the structure against all the stresses and strainsto which it may be subjected.

The trussed roof unit I-Iis also in the form of a right angle triangle.In the drawings (Fig. 14) it has anangle of 45 degrees. so as to givethe roof a corresponding slope or pitch. Its three sides are made up'inthe same manner "as the units A, B and C, and a strut or stay 26connects the corner plate 27 and the chord 28, while plates 29 and 30secure its acute angled corners. This unit may be made to have its topchord'rise from the base at an angle of 30 degrees more or less, so thattwo of these units will answer all the ordinary requirements of roofconstruction. By having the member 28 pivoted to the base and made insections with bolted bracing plates at its joints it may be madeadjustable to any desired angle. In this case the vertical side 31 wouldalso need to be jointed so that it could receive and be connected withthe upper end of the member 28, and be secured thereto by plates andrivets passed through its perforations 32 and the perforations 33 of thelatter. In this case also the ends of the stay G would need to bepivoted, and the stay made telescopic.

The three sides of the unit H have perforations 34 in their lateralflanges, by which they may be connected with other parts of thebuilding, those of the diagonal member 28 being adapted to receiveconnecting members for the purlins. The other sides, however, may formthe rafters, and the base of the unit, in which case the perforations ofthese sides will carry the purlin system. The inner flanges of the side28 and base 35 have rivet holes 36 for attaching braces or othermembers. In Fig. 1 the roof unit is shown provided with a vertical brace37, and other internal braces may be used if desired. The units Hforming the ridge are of the same form as the units H but have nointerior braces. Where the triangular roof units are made of small size,and are not required to carry a heavy load this can be done. It will beseen alsothat where the roof units are made like the unit H shown inFig. 14 any number of them may be combined to form a trussed rafterhaving any desired length which is a multiple of the length of the chord28. Thus by placing another unit inverted with the side 31 fixed to theside 31 of Fig. 14 then mounting another unit H thereon with its 'side35 fixed to the side 35 of the second unit, a rafter double the lengthof that shown in Fig. 14 will be formed. 7

Where for any reason small'fractions of the dimensions of theelements,,which cannot be taken care of by arrangement of the elementsare necessary this can be done by inserting plates or strips of metalbetween the system and set of units provided by the pres entimprovements accomplish all the advantages heretofore mentioned, amongothers,

that it is adaptable to all the various forms and dimensions of buildingconstruction, and that simply by numbering the various units accordingto their nature, and their size, it will only be necessary for thearchitect or engineer to specify and the builder to order from the milla certain quantity of the various units, to supply'materials which canbe assembled on the job without the use of steel work-ing tools of anycharacter and by un- 1Eskilled labor, to completely frame the strucure.It will be seen that each story of the building frame as well .as theentire frame when formed according to the improvements is in effect atrussed structure and is braced against all the stresses, loads andstrains to which such a structure may be subjected.

The inside flanges of one or all of the units A, B and C may also beprovided with bolt holes, such as those indicated at 38 (Figs. 2

and 4) and connecting plates uniformly perforated, as indicated at 39(Fig. 1) provided. This will obviate entirely the neces sity for using ahand drill in the few cases where it might otherwise i have to beemployed.

Various modifications of the details shown and described may be madewithout departing from the scope of the invention. This U-bars or T-barsmay be employed instead of 1 the angle or- L-bars described and shown,and bars of other cross section may also be employed, in the formationof the units, with "or without gusset plates, as the invention in itsbroader aspects is not limited to this or other details of construction.

' York, State of Iclaim:

1. A skeleton'wall comprising a plurality of hollow rectangular oblongmetal frame units constructed and arranged to form studs, plates,girders and other parts of a building frame, each unit composed of anglebars secured together along one flange and having bolt holes in otherflanges adapted to receive means for securing the said unit to othersimilar units on a plurality of sides of a said unit, said bolt holesbeing placed at regular intervals along the flange, and bracing andspacing plates between the said angle bars extending beyond the flangesof said bars and into the space surrounded by the frame.

2. A skeleton wall comprising a plurality of hollow rectangular oblongmetal frame units constructed and arrangedto form studs, plates, girdersand other parts of a building frame, each unit composed of angle barssecured together along one flange and having bolt holes in other flangesadapted to receive means for securing the said unit to other similarunits on a plurality of sides of a said unit, said bolt holes beingplaced at intervals along the flange, and bracing and spacing platesbetween the said angle bars extending beyond the flanges of said barsand into the space surrounded by the frame and bracing members securedto said extending portions of one unit and extending from one side ofthe frame to the other.

3. A skeleton wall comprising a plurality of hollow rectangular oblongmetal frame units constructed and arranged to form studs, plates,girders and other parts of a building frame, each unit composed ofanglebars secured together along one flange and having bolt holes inother flanges adapted to receive means for securing the said unit toother similar units on a plurality of sides of a said unit, said boltholes being placed at regular intervals along the flange and bracing andspacing plates between the said angle bars extending beyond the flangesof said bars and into the space surrounded by the frame.

4. A frame for a building comprising a plurality of walls each formed ofa plurality of units joined edge to edge, each of said units consistingof side and end bars secured together, cross-bars extending betweenopposite bars to form a rigid truss frame, openings in the sides andends of each frame adapted to register with corresponding openings inthe sides and ends of adjacent frames, and means for permanentlysecuring said adjacent frames together at said openings.

Witness my hand this lOth-day of April, 1926, at New York, in the countyof New New York.

JOHN G. BRODERICK.

